"Even Though I Knew The End"

3.8 out of 5 Stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

1 out of 5 spiciness

🌶️

TW: Mentions of homophobia.

Light spoilers ahead.

A Chicago detective in the early 1940's. Sapphic romance. Supernatural entities that reign chaos, destruction, and give our sapphic Spade a second chance to be with the woman she loves. What's not to love in C.L. Polk's noir novella?

This was my first time reading a noir detective novel. Walking through Barnes & Noble, this book made me an offer I couldn't refuse - a $5 special. Naturally, as any broke reader would do, I snatched it up! Also, as I'm sure my wonderful readers can relate to, this novella promptly began collecting dust on my TBR pile.

Then a few days ago, I was hungry for a sapphic romance.

Overall, this is a beautiful little story that may pull a little tear out your eye by the final pages. If you love the noir genre, I would recommend this book if you need a little time to kill (such as an airplane trip). The sapphic characters were enchanting and tantalizing, leaving a bisexual woman stunned at their visual imagery. With that being said - while sexy, this book is not spicy. While I do prefer tongue-scorching spice in novels, for a novella, a small sizzle is enough.

Potential spoiler coming through in this paragraph. If you do not prefer established-relationship stories, this is not the novella for you. Personally, I'm not a fan of them either. If the story relies on the bond between two characters, I want to see that bond develop!

In addition, sometimes the writing was a bit difficult for me to read. It's not that it was complex, it's just that sometimes the structures of the sentences were confusing. Overall, this did not make the story significantly unreadable or any less enjoyable.

"Even Though I Knew The End" belongs nestled in a warm wool cardigan - the perfect article to wear when teleporting to the windy city itself.